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Chapter 14
“You’ve never been the protagonist.”
Lee Shin’s words pierced Kim Jong-pil’s heart.
In this situation—telling the legendary Mountain King, who once raised this country to the world’s top, that he had never been the protagonist—it was almost laughable. Yet Kim Jong-pil, who should have been furious, kept his mouth tightly shut and said nothing because it wasn’t wrong.
It was a truth he had long tried to deny, and sometimes—no, recently, every day—it was a word of regret he kept mulling over: protagonist.
“When I think about it, sir, you’ve always been alongside absolute top-tier figures throughout your hunter career.”
The legendary start: the USA World Raid.
In the national competition held every four years, Korea rose to the top once again, and in this moment of glory, the world gave titles to the heroes of victory:
Fighting King, Ten Thousand King, and the Mountain King, this was the beginning of the Three Kings.
“You wrote the legend of the Three Kings and reached the top, but the most noticed one was Fighting King, Majang-dong.”
Afterwards, founding the <Giraffe Guild>, surpassing Korea’s best and winning Guild War Asia and the Champions League, he wrote another legend as the world’s undisputed top guild.
“By your side was Ten Thousand King, Han Jeong-do.”
When evaluating the Mountain King, haters always fixate on this part.
“They say Mountain King was lucky. Mountain King just rode the bus. Mountain King hasn’t proven anything… Even the claim that he changed the paradigm of strategy is all an illusion,” they say.
Hmm…
Listening to this, Kim Jong-pil quietly knocked back his soju.
He hadn’t expected someone to openly bring up the label that had followed him throughout his career. Honestly, it didn’t feel good.
Yet he didn’t get angry because even he lacked certainty about himself.
Am I really just lucky? Did I really ride the bus? Was my strategy truly an illusion?
At first, he had cursed at this question, calling it nonsense; later, he laughed it off, saying it wasn’t worth answering. But now, his answer was simply: I don’t know.
So he was a little curious. What answer would Lee Shin give to a question that even Kim Jong-pil himself couldn’t easily answer?
And Lee Shin delivered an answer far clearer than he expected.
“Tell them to screw off.”
“Pft!”
Cough! Cough!
The two sipping water behind them were shocked, and Kim Jong-pil’s eyes widened.
Wha… what… screw…?
“Fighting King, Majang-dong. The man who reminds you of a livestock market, called the strongest primate and known as an ideal in the world’s martial arts community—he was your predecessor companion.”
In Lee Shin’s view:
“He’s just a gorilla. A slightly stronger, better-fighting beast.”
It was true he had been lucky in the draws, inheriting the strongest primate body. True, he had the combat instincts worthy of the name Fighting King.
But that was it.
“He’s slow to understand, poor at judging, and with a temper so bad that teamwork is impossible. He only charges, so positioning is out of the question. Even in the last match of the year, it was the same. That reckless play, brain emptied, running forward without restraint? Even a gorilla wouldn’t do that.”
“You’re evaluating Majang-dong?”
“You know better than anyone who was with him. Honestly, you can relate, right?”
Yes. This was Majang-dong.
Aside from physical ability and combat instinct, he was empty, more beast than human—the Fighting King, Majang-dong.
“But our gorilla is at least a gentleman. The next guy I’m about to talk about is even more shameless.”
Harsh words, but Fighting King was undeniably SSS rank.
Strength 100, Agility 95, Stamina 100.
These were his body stats at peak. Strength and stamina maxed.
A miracle logic worked on him: if he lacked brains, he could make up with body.
His mind regressed as a counterbalance, and using him required a certain level of physical force.
The strongest “human” among all GM characters, yet with equally obvious drawbacks.
Okay, that’s acceptable—at least his physicality was definite.
But what about the next guy?
“Ten Thousand King, Han Jeong-do.”
Evenly distributed stats. No extreme traits. Without special setup, he could play first to third line, from frontline tank to rear support dealer. Covering all positions and roles.
A symbol of versatility. Hence the name Ten Thousand King.
Certainly a good character.
But “good” and “the best” are clearly different.
If asked whether he deserved the title of King, Lee Shin’s answer remained consistent.
No.
“Stats, traits, can utilize all positions. Fine. Good. But so what? Call it versatility if you like, but in another view, it just means mediocre. Look at the evidence: can this tool-like guy change the game’s course?”
SSS rank characters are game changers.
They can dominate and reshape the game purely with their abilities.
Even the gorilla Fighting King, despite his stupidity, qualifies as SSS because he can do this.
But Ten Thousand King?
“No, he can’t. I’d stake my wrist on it.”
Because Ten Thousand King was a “tool” by nature. Passive, unable to do anything alone.
“Now, we have a gorilla with only a strong body and a tool that’s at most SS rank. Let’s turn the story around.”
Was the Mountain King just lucky?
“The ones who were lucky were the pseudo-human gorilla and the tool who couldn’t even manage their own excrement. Without you, they could do nothing.”
Was Mountain King’s command an illusion?
“He made the gorilla look like the world’s strongest and packaged the tool as SSS rank. Isn’t that proof enough? I assert that your command is the only ‘real’ thing.”
Then why had the Mountain King never been the protagonist?
“What else? He had no time to be the protagonist because he was busy cleaning up after those two.”
That’s why Lee Shin asks if he wants to get stronger.
“Honestly, aren’t you frustrated? You reached the top with those half-baked guys, and they drank all the rewards. I’d be so frustrated I couldn’t sleep.”
Well, leaving aside that among the Three Kings, he wasn’t the flashiest, a smirk appeared on Lee Shin’s face.
Even Kim Jong-pil’s jaw dropped at Lee Shin’s manic speech.
“Huh…”
If it were mere flattery, he wouldn’t have been this surprised. But Mountain King was certain. The Lee Shin before him was 100% sincere.
He genuinely saw the Fighting King, Majang-dong—the strongest primate—as a gorilla.
He saw the perfect hunter, Ten Thousand King, as a tool who needed permission even for excrement.
Kim Jong-pil’s Adam’s apple moved.
This guy… is a true lunatic!
And the conversation that followed was nothing short of a masterpiece.
“I’ll ask again. Don’t you want to get stronger in situations like this?”
Yes. Get stronger.
“To show who the real protagonist is.”
And…
“To the guys too.”
Flinch.
At Lee Shin’s whispered words, Kim Jong-pil’s eyes narrowed.
“You…”
A suspiciously insightful guy.
I doubt myself, yet you look at me with eyes full of certainty.
Kim Jong-pil had to admit it.
“You’re a very interesting guy.”
He liked this lunatic.
________________________________________
Meanwhile, at that moment, Lee Myung-hwan’s car was racing down the highway at a dizzying speed.
“Driver Choi, ignore the cameras and keep driving.”
“Yes, sir.”
Now that the location of the long-awaited Sanwang had been revealed, Lee Myung-hwan had no time to hesitate.
He departed immediately, and less than an hour remained to reach Geumgangsan.
As Lee Myung-hwan’s leg jittered with tension, the woman reached out and straightened the man’s tie.
“Honey, you’re excited. Relax.”
“Calm down.”
“Then look at this. You’ll feel better.”
At the sight of the tablet the woman handed him, Lee Myung-hwan’s expression changed in an instant.
On the tablet were photos of other cousins in charge of regional guilds under Lee Sang-byeok’s instructions—potential rivals.
Lee Myung-hwan’s gaze turned chillingly cold.
“Successfully recruited the ‘Magician Killer’ from Shinji’s guild…? You said it was impossible before.”
“Well, it happened.”
“Jeong Sumi, are you kidding me?”
Angrily, Lee Myung-hwan called her full name and glared at her, but Jeong Sumi merely shrugged nonchalantly.
“You’re upset, but honey, even I can’t know if the bosses personally get involved.”
“…The old men moved?”
“Apparently.”
“Look at the next page.”
Hurriedly flipping to the next page at Jeong Sumi’s words, he saw men entering a hotel lobby and, shortly after, women wearing sunglasses in the same shot.
“Hi6, a girl group that’s trending these days. They went into the hotel where Magician Killer had been. The interesting part is that the next day, LeeDo’s commercial model was replaced by them.”
“…A vulgar tactic, a petty old-man trick.”
“That’s not all. It seems they’re moving in the department stores too.”
“Your aunt?”
Articles reported that the aces of League 2 guilds in Jeolla had failed to renew their contracts. It was obvious who was behind it.
“It’s true.”
“Smart. They’re destroying the competition itself. LeeDo is LeeDo. Not a single easy target.”
“Damn… too early.”
“That’s right. It means they’re going all-in without hesitation.”
The heads of the factions, who thought they had more time to test the waters, were suddenly rising for some reason: the prologue to the proxy war.
Now was truly the time to collide with full force.
Therefore, recruiting Sanwang was more important than anything.
It had to succeed at all costs. Determination was etched anew in Lee Myung-hwan’s eyes.
“Give it.”
“What?”
“The recruitment script you prepared. That one.”
“Ah.”
It was a script simulating the most preferred conversations by analyzing big data on Sanwang Kim Jong-pil.
The contents were written as follows:
• No threats or coercion.
• Despite a gentlemanly appearance, Sanwang is more aggressive than imagined.
• Conversely, don’t be too submissive. He has a macho tendency in his usual speech and behavior.
• Do not mention money or recruitment initially.
• Based on Sanwang’s tendencies, it’s ideal to approach the first meeting with an interest-focused conversation.
“…‘Show sincerity, not petty tricks.’ What a load of sincerity talk.”
“From my research, Sanwang is more of a romantic than he seems. If nothing else, have a drink with him.”
“Definitely likes alcohol?”
“Soju, the red label. Not his usual taste though.”
“Damn, that’s why commoners…”
Lee Myung-hwan was stubborn, but he was an ambitious man.
He wasn’t putting on this show to gain his father’s recognition for owning just one car.
He wanted something bigger, something greater. He wanted the LeeDo empire.
“I can do this!”
They say young executives are the trend—why can’t I?
A smile spread across Lee Myung-hwan’s face. Just imagining it was intoxicating.
Sitting on the throne of the LeeDo Group…
Brrr~!
Himself on the throne…
Brrr~!
Sitt…
Brrrrrrrr~!
“…Sh*t. Who is it! Who’s calling?”
“It’s your phone.”
“Oh, right.”
Glancing awkwardly to the side, he saw it: the phone spinning in place, the screen displaying the words “Old Man.”
Someone’s clearly heated.
Lee Myung-hwan chuckled and answered, and at that moment, he froze.
― “Myung-hwan, how did you handle this! Turn the car around and come straight to Seoul HQ.”
The fantasy of ascending to the throne of LeeDo.
― “Sanwang has arrived.”
The dream of succeeding Lee Sang-byeok.
― “Lee Shin brought that bastard with him!”
Shattered like a falling ice fragment and was completely broken.
________________________________________
※ Mir Guild
• League 4
• Representative: Lee Shin
• Chief: Jeong Sun-dong
• Vice Chief: Chae Dong-ha
• Raid Leader: Sanwang Kim Jong-pil (New!!)
